2017 Construction Institute Student Days

Ana Rapalo-Padilla, a senior in civil engineering with an emphasis in construction engineering management, recently represented the UA at the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2017 Construction Institute Student Days. ASCE covered all expenses to the event, which was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from July 28 through August 1.

Students in construction programs from around the U.S. were placed on teams that competed on a construction challenge project. Padilla and her teammates rose to the challenge and are now the 2017 CI Student Days National Champions.

“It was an incredible experience,” Padilla said. “One that I would highly recommend to all our students.

“Professor [Dean] Papajohn encouraged me to apply to this selective program, and I was lucky enough to have been accepted. The construction classes that professor Papajohn teaches were extremely valuable to this competition because in three days we put together a cost estimate, schedule, bid proposal and cohesive presentation to a panel of judges and owners to complete our challenge.”

Multi-discipline, Real-World Challenge

The challenge project requires teams to develop a written and oral real-world construction project proposal that takes all conditions into account, including local laws and regulations, traffic impact, and surrounding residential and commercial areas. The project involves multiple disciplines, including civil, foundations, concrete, and steel erection.
“The networking opportunities at this event were incredible,” Padilla said. “We met members of industry who extended job offers just for being the dedicated and involved students that we are in ASCE."